Travelling with a cat....

[Katymac]

OK 4 months in a camper van with the cat

So far I am thinking:
Dog crate
Spill free water bowl (?) or do you think he'd drink out of a rabbit water bottle?
I need a littler covered litted tray mine is big enough for a small lion

Teaching him to walk with a harness & lead (when the weather gets warmer)

What else do I need?


I know it's a bit odd but I think it will work - he is an indoor lap cat (Siamese) & he adores DH & I and is rarely more than 6 inches away from us

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

I think it's worth a try...I'd have given it a go with cats 1,3 and one of my current cats....they were all very people oriented. 1 and current idiot cat were/are supremely confident and wouldn't fret. cat 3 was a self declared indoor cat and only liked to nip out to pee and come straight back in, and idiot cats sister is just too contrary to accept anything like a restriction!

[Shriek]

What are you giving the dcat by going on this trip?

A lot of risks and no guarantees at all. All that in and out means increased risk to dcat escaping and a lot of careful management which os far from relaxing but you will get tired and have drinks presumably, meet others. All arencomplications to added risks for dcat.

I wouldnt have thought it possible to leave dcat in really hot weather with air con going for hours? How will it run all that time reliably. If its not reliable thrn dcat would die wouldnt it? in reality you are saying use of an app to track temp but unless you travel no further than withing say 10 mins distance of the van could be too late to get back to.

What life for dcat? I think a proper pb caravan or static home is better suited to dcat as opposed to camper.

I have tried the body type of harness and wouldnt dare test it outside a catis double and triple jointes when it comes to such things ime .

[Katymac]

Yes we have an airlock on the house for the door near the road & I was thinking about fly screens so if we need to keep him in it's easy to open a window (& not run air con unless necessary)

When we buy the van we will do a couple of short local (our village) trips to see how we do - apparently you can hire the van you want to buy

[Weedsnseeds1]

Mine did Scrabble forlornly at the bathroom door!
But really, try short trips first, it may not be your cat's idea of fun and think carefully about how you will get in and out the van without him making a run for it. Can you attach a " porch" so you have an airlock?
Also walking a cat isn't like walking a dog. You go where they want, not the other way round, so you won't be able to plan walks!

[Katymac]

For those of you who think I'd leave a cat in an uncooled space in summer....my brother has already agreed to come over & retro fit aircon & solar panels to run it if the van I buy doesn't have it

We are debating between a baby monitor we can attach to our phone or a temperature guage with an app so we can ensure he is fine when we go out

I am looking at a GPS to track him - but of all my sceptical friends who know us are way more concerned about DH than the cat, apart from the friend who is concerned we may have to get a bigger bathroom so the cat can come too (like he does now)

Thanks for the advise about the harness, Weeds, and the website

[Weedsnseeds1]

I would also add, think about the campsite. We were the only people on a very rural site with only 6 very widely spaced tents. A crowded site with loads of kids and dogs would have been a completely different prospect I think.

[Weedsnseeds1]

Oh, and the butter on paws is a bit of an old wives tale I think, but in any case would be intended to get the cat to come back to its house, not to lots of different locations. There is a website called " adventurecats" which has lots of advice on traveling with cats.

[Weedsnseeds1]

A friend of mine travelled for a few years around Europe in a converted truck with her boyfriend. They adopted a stray kitten en route and built a recessed litter tray in the floor of the van, with a cover that popped over flush with the floor and a little ramp down to the tray.
I think they found it in Turkey, so assume it was smuggled across borders.
I have taken mine camping for a long weekend and he walked on the lead, but he was carried in and out of the tent with harness and lead already on, so I had hold of him if he tried to bolt ( he didn't) and to he didn't get the idea of strolling out if the door. He wasn't left on his own in the tent and the tent was a "safari" type with heavy canvas walls and wood floor. I'm not sure I'd take him for more than a week though.
Butterfly cat jackets make very secure harnesses,much better than the "strapping" type and easier to put on.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

I have been on lots of camper van holidays. The thing is, the nature of the holiday dictates that you are in and out of the van a lot. Just off to do the washing up, oh damn I forgot the tea towel, pop back in the van to get it. Need a wee at night, got to leave the van to go out to the toilet blocks. Packing up for a day trip, need to be in and out to make sure you've got everything you need. Packing up to move on, another level again. My point being, to ensure the cat is safe at all times, you will need to put it in a crate/box a lot. And I'm not sure that's a nice existence for any cat. Even catteries have a safe enclosed run, and you can't provide that. Poor cat

[cozietoesie]

PS. And No - I'm not keen. And that's putting it mildly.

[cozietoesie]

Why do you 'have' to give it a go?

[IlsaLund]

I wouldn't risk this - I have one very bonded cat but the thought of taking her travelling would terrify me.
Also, how will you regulate temperature in the van if you are going out and leaving the cat?

[chocdonutyy]

When will this be? If it's the summer you won't be able to leave doors/windows open nor leave kitty inside while you go out anywhere as it'll be too hot.
I like the idea but not sure it's practical

[Shriek]

And i've not yet come across a harness that can keep a struggling/scared cat in! They are born escapologists with their twisting and contorting abilities when they need to

[Shriek]

I know I couldnt bear having to leave an area knowing my lost dcat was being left behind!! we often enough have stories on here of dcats going missing for days and sometimes weeks/months, but the risk is if that happens when you're away and have to leave.

[Katymac]

I know you aren't keen Cosie, but I have to give it a go - I won't have him unhappy I promise

How does this look? for keeping him safe while we have to do stuff?

& a secured dog crate for travelling or if we get a big enough van I'll convert a bunk for him to make a cat cave

He has started sleeping in one of these this week

[LivingInMidnight]

This sounds like a really bad idea.

[Shriek]

Dogs bonded to their pack cats to their territory. I have travelled with dcats and they prefer to be inside with us when doors opened but I wouldnt want to risk travelling with them. Although I have seen lot of caravanners do it but maybe they go to a fixed site each time. The huge risk of them getting out in a strange land would be a big step too far for me and ive often wondered how people do this!!

[cozietoesie]

Ah well.

[Katymac]

Ome of the sites suggested a homing beacon which might be a good idea

I'm going to have to try it but I will set up a really good contingency plan in case

[cozietoesie]

PS - and you're talking about four months and not a quick weekend away.

[cozietoesie]

I hear what they say.

I'd take a dog with me without hesitation but cats - even Siamese - are not dogs. There may be the odd cat who doesn't mind a new place every night but they're few and far between I suspect.

[cozietoesie]

You'd possibly be happier yourself, going on such an extended break, without that responsibility on you at all times.

[Katymac]

I found this

[Katymac]

Well we can try for a few weekends and see how he goes


If we take him & he gets unhappy I'll bring him back to our cattery